Table 2.

Illustrative quotes representing experiences within the top 9 financial sacrifice domains and those with multiple financial sacrifices

Cutbacks/significant budgeting (796 instances)

Cut back on many normal expenses - did not spend money for entertainment or going out to eat, saved money any way I could.

Total reduction in expenditures...no cable TV, internet, vacations, going out to dinner, fast foods, and anything else we could think of to save money.

Extreme cuts to household budget. And I mean everything!

Much tighter budget, buy necessities only.

Live paycheck to paycheck now, no emergency fund.

Health insurance/health care cost challenges (415 instances)

The insurance still does not cover my scans 100%. So once a year, I go get my scans done & we just have to watch what we spend that month, so we can pay off the remaining balance of that bill.

Pay exorbitant rates for insurance in the high-risk pool because I cannot get regular insurance. My medical bills including insurance are more than my income now.

Co-insurance and out of pocket expenses were a hit to the family budget, so we had to cut back on spending to cover these expenses.

My health insurance is very expensive and does not pay for office visits. I have to see my oncologist every 4 months for the next 5 years.

My insurance provider rescinded my coverage. I paid most of my costs out of pocket. My savings were wiped out. I was comfortable, now I struggle and am ashamed and isolated by my lack of funds. I do not know that I will ever recover financially. It is a considerable stress; I am currently without insurance…

Impact on career/self-advancement (316 instances)

I transferred out of a very lucrative position to less paying position.

As I did not take advancement or increase my hours, my salary is less than it might have become.

I stayed with a company that provides excellent health benefits rather than seek higher paying jobs where health insurance might not be as good.

I changed jobs because I was declared physically unfit for my job. So I went from a great career line of work that I went to school for, to a part time retail job.

I was pressured to resign from my job and have not been able to secure another since my cancer diagnosis.

Reduction/depletion of assets (273 instances)

We used up all of our savings and had to dip into retirement funds to pay co-insurance, deductible, copays, etc.

My husband and I, as well as our parents have all had to dig into our savings accounts to cover the insurance copays for my treatment. We have currently totaled approximately $12,000 over the last 2 years.

Oh my ... have spent thousands and thousands and thousands from retirement accounts and have done without.

I had to cash out my 401 K to pay off the medical bills

Sold most of our valuables - jewelry, motorcycles, and the like.

Inability to pay bills/pay for services (263 instances)

[I] choose which bills to let lapse to pay hospital co-pay.

Bills went into collection because I could not afford all the copays.

Can no longer afford dance lessons for my daughter, and cannot afford

preschool for my son. Cannot pay bills.

Could barely afford the basics during this time. I was lucky to eat and keep a roof over my head.

[I was] not able to buy groceries or pay some of my medical bills.

Burden on relationships/family (220 instances)

[I] got a divorce because of my being sick.

My husband became depressed due to my withdrawal from intimacy after my cancer. He stopped working.

My thirty-year-old daughter and my 24-year-old daughter have stayed with me to help pay rent and expenses instead of the oldest marrying her boyfriend and moving out, or the younger getting a place of her own. They should have lives of their own, but they are “stuck” taking care of me.

My family could not do or have as much because of the medical bills.

My daughter had to come home from college.

Impact on housing (216 instances)

We had to let our home go back to the bank…After 20 years of home ownership, we had to file bankruptcy and now rent.

I had to sell my house at a loss to have money to survive.

Unable to refinance our home due to medical debt and cannot afford current mortgage due to all of the medical debt.

Home maintenance and repairs were neglected.

We had to let our home go and move in with my son and his wife, so I can continue treatment.

Increase in debt or borrowing (184 instances)

I put my cancer expenses on credit cards and eventually could no longer make payments on them - settled some [credit cards] for less and got sued by one card company.

I am still paying for debts accrued from co-payments or hospital bills not covered by my insurance…and paying credit card debt that was accrued during my time out of work.

I delayed paying my student loans and ran up my credit cards.

[I] ran up credit card debt and borrowed money from family members.

I delayed paying my student loans and ran up my credit cards.

Employment status (155 instances)

I have not been able to return to work. I was between jobs, about to start a new one, when diagnosed. Now I experience chronic issues which preclude meaningful employment.

I lost the ability to do my job because it is brain cancer - I cannot drive and because of my treatment I have tremors…I was a hair stylist and I can no longer do my job.

I cannot work but I try to. I want to die I have so much pain.

I lost my job and believe that it could have been partially due to long term aftereffects of cancer treatment.

I sold my business and was unemployed for several years while I regained my health.

Multiple financial sacrifices

We have cut back having almost no vacations in the past 10 years, no entertainment except dollar rental on movies. The house is in disrepair and cannot fix to sell. [We] shop only for needs and look for best deal with less snacks and “fun food” in house for kids, less food in house, [and] cannot help daughter with college. [We] have very little discretionary income and most of that goes to gas to be able to drive to work; defaulting on school loans; pets do not go to vet except when emergency; and [we] shop at thrift stores for clothes and bread…

We had to sell our home after three years (had bone cancer), and child left college had to take out student loan. [We] sold nice car bought old one, had to lose my life insurance, could not afford dental care the lack of income combined with the large co-pays, deductibles, limits of my very expensive insurance destroyed financial stability and there was no way to rebuild once my health was okay. [I] lost time and a huge resume gap with no explanation that would be positive for an employer. Although I have a master’s degree, I used money for classes to get re-employed.

[I] owned my business, and lost everything due to [pancreatic cancer] no insurance at the time of cancer. [I] sold all life policies, gold, and anything of value trying to stay ahead of bills did not make it. Now [I am] losing my home as well, in foreclosure, and cannot work full time as I do not have stamina or endurance. I have no help. I was the one everyone counted on and now I feel I’ve let all down…nowhere to turn.

Information presented includes select qualitative responses for the top 9 financial sacrifice domains from the open-ended qualitative data of the 1656 respondents to the 2012 LIVESTRONG survey, as well as select qualitative responses from respondents who reported experiencing multiple financial sacrifice domains